Snow
by ZehHyperactiveAuthor
Summary: They were all freezing. The only person unaffected was Sonic. That cheerful bundle of optimism didn't even seem to be COLD! Tanya rolled her eyes at his optimism, wondering, not for the first time, how one creature could posses so much energy.


Me: I'm alive!…uh…that is…I am _so_ sorry for not updating in so long! This story is sorta a please-don't-kill-me substitute. I _promise_ to update What If You Met Your Childhood Hero sometime in the next two weeks. I've just been _really_ busy and-

Roxy: Yeah right. You mean busy with reading fanfiction!

Me: Idon'tknowwhatshe'stalkingaboutshe'slyingit'snotmyfaultforgiveme!

Roxy: (rolls her eyes) Author doesn't own Sonic n' co and I _really_ wish she didn't own me!

Me: IcanexplainIswearitwasbecau- Hey! You take that back!

Roxy: Make me.

Me: *insert wicked smile* maybe I will…

Tanya was cold. As her heavy boots crunched through the snow, the icy wind of never-ending winter nipped at her skin, causing her to shiver unconsciously. Her breath came out in wispy tendrils of moister that the wind kept returning to her, adding to her discomfort. If her frost-tipped fur was giving her any protection, it wasn't enough to be appreciated. Her fur wasn't designed for cold weather. Her body had no idea what to do in this harsh, unexpected climate. It belonged in the jungle. In her village. With her people. Her forest-green fur was perfect for blending in with the towering trees that her tribe had once called home. But now, her fur was useless. The once thriving trees had now shed their leaves and lay dormant, slumbering through the abrupt winter in hopes that they might wake up to spring. The forest was deserted, it's inhabitants having either died or fled in search of warmer weather. But, their search would be in vain, Tanya knew. For this freezing wasteland was both global and permanent.

It was for this very reason that she had joined them. Wrapping her thick jacket tighter around her in a vain attempt to keep warm, Tanya's golden eyes cast a weary glance at her companions. They all seemed as cold as she was. Like her, they had ducked their heads long ago to keep out part of the freezing wind and had their arms wrapped tightly around them. Visibility had disappeared eons back, so it seemed pointless to keep their eyes open only to have them dried and then some by the biting wind. For this reason they all had their eyes shut tight.Even the hot-tempered echidna who had almost immediately declared himself the toughest of the team (literally), found himself rendered near helpless by the stinging cold.

The only person unaffected was Sonic. That cheerful bundle of optimism didn't even seem to be cold. The azure hedgehog had been smiling merrily the entire time, his emerald eyes sparkling with enchantment at his surroundings. Tanya didn't necessarily understand what was so amazing about an endless field of white, especially when they had been hiking for at least _four hours_. But Sonic trudged on anyway, not in the least bit tired or discouraged. He had even given the youngest of the team, an 8-year-old fox who went by the name of Tails, a two-hour piggyback ride. Tanya rolled her eyes at his optimism, wondering, not for the first time, how one creature could posses to much energy. Instead of being bothered by the cold, he seemed to flourish in it like a vegetable! And, frankly, it was getting on her nerves.

Tails had said this was because Sonic was a traveler, continuously using his famed speed to explore the entire planet. He'd gotten used to dramatic weather changes long ago. That made sense from what she saw. She'd been traveling in their small gang for over seventeen months now. And yet, she could still remember the day she left as if it were yesterday. The elders had ordered her to stay, saying that she had no business dealing with outsiders. They told her that, if she left, she could never return. She remembered feeling a burning determination as she shook her head. She was going defeat Scrooge and she was going to save her tribe, whatever it took.

Since then, they had been through several battles, some casual and some life-threatening. There had been many times when her companions were sure she would leave, all except Sonic that is. Once, after an especially disturbing battle, the blue hedgehog had met her eyes looking slightly uneasy, his own eyes unreadable and guarded. He told her that they wouldn't blame her if she wanted to leave and that he couldn't guarantee that something like this wouldn't happen again. But there were two things he could promise, and that was that they'd never abandon her and that "_I'm _goanna hold on till the end, even if it doesn't end right." That statement had greatly increased what little respect she had for the hyperactive hedgehog. Then, he'd flashed her his typical grin and said "Wadda ya say?" and she'd nodded curtly in response. There was something about that hedgehog that Tanya just couldn't begin to fathom.

Noticing that she was unconsciously staring at him, Sonic met her gaze with an enthusiastic wink. Tanya shot him a glare fierce enough to scare a saber tooth, causing him to chuckle in amusement. He enjoyed getting on her nerves and she knew it. It was surprisingly easy, actually. She was even more temperamental than Knuckles. The slightest thing would set her off. It made sense, though. Forest dwellers were known for being cranky and suspicious, especially with outsiders. Now that her home was gone, she was more edgy than ever. The tribes took pride in their tree house paradise; it was all they had, but it was plenty. She'd actually been taking things pretty well and Sonic could've sworn he'd seen her smile a couple of times, albeit briefly.

Sonic's internal musings were interrupted as he once again suppressed a shiver. Truth be told, he was freezing. He had lent his jacket to Tanya a long time ago and the cold was starting to take it's toll. He could no longer feel his feet or arms and was now concentrating of maintaining his internal body heat and cheerful demeanor. They needed to quite worrying; it wasn't going to help anything. Plastering a realistic smile on his face, he casually scanned his friends, trying not to let his own worry show in his features.

Sonic knew they couldn't take much more of this. In the blizzard, the trio almost resembled walking snowmen. But as he looked closer, he found he could still identify the nasty wounds they had acquired from their previous battle, one they had lost. They were actually in the mist of running for their lives, but so far, it looked as if their enemy wasn't pursuing them. Turning his gaze back to the road ahead of them, he continued his discreet search for shelter.

Tanya was still watching him all the while and, in spite of her earlier observations, she could've sworn she'd seen his eyes show a flicker of apprehension as they'd passed over their shivering forms. This was slightly reassuring. At least he seemed to know the danger the others were in, even if he himself was unaffected. Suddenly, Sonic's eyes lit up and he let out a jubilant cry.

"Look! Look over there!" Tanya immediately followed his gaze. Amidst the flurries of snow was a great, looming shadow and as they grew closer, she recognized the features of the local, dormant volcano. "We made it," Sonic stated and Tanya was startled by the amount of relief in his voice. The others gave a joyous shout and took off in a run toward shelter, eager to be out of the snow. Tanya followed them, unaware that Sonic seemed to be trailing behind slightly. They located the entrance to the tunnels almost immediately. As Tanya stepped through the opening, a wall of heat hit her so hard that she staggered momentarily.

She was _warm_! She could feel the heat filling her entire body and she closed her eyes to savor it.

Cold?

What cold?

There was no cold. Only a blissful, mind-boggling warmth. Only half aware of her actions, she drowsily followed the others into the darkness, suddenly feeling very tired. After walking for a few feet, she spotted a soft orange glow coming from up ahead. A couple more steps and she was in the cavern.

This first thing Tanya noticed a bout the place was it's size. It. Was. _Huge_. The cavern itself stretched on for miles in all directions, adding up to the length of at least thirteen football fields. More than half of that cavern was made up of the fiery lava which cast an unearthly glow on the obsidian surrounding it. The rest of it was half-filled with refugees who, like them, had come to escape the cold. The place was bustling with activity as people gathered their belongings and set up camp. Tents dotted the hard rock floor and children laughed and chased each other. As the group stared in awe at their surroundings, a blue-eyed white wolf spotted them amidst the commotion and began making her way toward them.

"Hello there!" she greeted cheerfully once she'd reached them. Then, she gasped as she saw their wounds. "Looks like you took some pretty nasty blows…No matter! I'll get you cleaned up in a jiffy!" the wolf declared cheerfully. "I'm Lisa by the way, one of the people in charge of this place. Now, any of you lot get effected by the cold? Any sicknesses or illnesses I should know about?"

"No…," Tails replied. "We're all fine. Actually, I was wondering…" He trailed off when he saw Lisa's serious expression was locked on someone behind them. They all turned to look at Sonic who seemed a bit bewildered.

"What?" he asked. "I got something on my face?" Lisa narrowed her eyes.

"How long have you been outside?" she demanded. Sonic scratched his head in thought.

"About…four hours? Why?"

"And how long have you been without a jacket?" Sonic eyes hardened slightly as he suddenly realized what she was getting at.

"I'm fine," he insisted firmly. Tanya found it interesting how much he was against showing weakness.

"How long," she repeated calmly, but firmly.

"Well…since we first started I guess…but I'm fine! I feel fine." he assured her. Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"And can you _feel_ your fingers or toes?" There was a short pause during which Sonic's eyes darted sheepishly from his friends to an expectant Lisa.

"Well…?" she prompted.

"Er…not really…" he mumbled. Lisa sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Walk toward me," she commanded. The azure hedgehog stared at her blankly.

"Come again?"

"You heard me." Sonic gave a small shrug and started toward her. He got no more than three feet before he started swaying unsteadily on his feet. Tanya caught him under the arms as he teetered backward.

"Whoa…," he murmured as she set him back on his feet. "Guess you were right." Tanya immediately slid off one of her gloves and placed a hand on his forehead, making his stomach buckle.

"You're burning up…," she murmured, her brow creased with worry." He shooed her hand away, hoping she wouldn't notice his strange behavior.

"Just a little light headed is all," he insisted, but she ignored him, turning instead to Lisa.

"What does he need?" she asked and Lisa gave a small shrug.

"He's mostly just exhausted," she replied, causing Sonic to blink in surprise. _How did she know? _"A little warmth and plenty of rest and he'll be on his feet in no time." Before he could protest, Sonic found himself being led away by Tanya, who kept a firm grip on his hand. Soon, he stumbled again and somehow ended up with one arm around her neck as she continued toward her destination. Sonic was getting a little tired of being dragged around.

"Tanya, where are..?…oh…" He trailed off as they came to a halt at one of the many small cliffs overlooking the lava. Here she let go of him and gave him a single command.

"Sit," she ordered. Sonic immediately began to protest.

"What? No! Tanya…" Just then, another wave of dizziness knocked him off his feet and Tanya promptly caught him, lowering him gently to the ground. He fell asleep almost instantly.

Me: Well! What do you think? Not too bad I hope? There's only gonna be two or three chapters. I woulda made it a one-shot, but I sorta didn't finish it yet…Anywho, enjoy! Though I already know you will cause my characters are so great! Right, Roxy?

Roxy: (scrubbing floor in traditional maid's outfit) I hate you.

Me: Good for you. Happy Writing peoplez! ^_^


End file.
